How do you stop your dog from possessive aggression?

I have a lhasa apso 8 months puppy. When I pet him while he is eating, he growls at me. I tried taking some food from his bowl and feeding him with my hand to show that I'm not taking away his food. But that didn't work.I know I shouldnt bother a dog when hes eating but I don't want that behavior at all. He's also aggressive about his bones. Any suggestions to what I can do besides take him to a trainer?I only have 1 pet(him) and I feed him 3 times a day.

dogs dont like it wen yu touch them, call them, hav enythin 2 do with em wen they're eating. if he is aggressive about bones, jus put chilli peppr mixd wit watr on it.

This is an age old problem. Some dogs can be broken of this habit by doing exactly the method you are using. Dogs in general want to be pack leaders. You have to demonmstrate to him that YOU are the pack leader. Llasa Apsos tend to be territorial. I have a mini pin that will let me take anything from him but if one of our cats comes sniffing around he growls and his hackles go up. I am still trying to break him. Good luck...

This is something you need to nip in the bud right now before it gets worse later on. Food aggression can cause so many issues in the long run. Make sure to take him to a trainer for this but in the mean time, make sure he is fed when there are no other pets around. Feed him more than one, smaller meals throughout the day. This will ease his nerves so that he's not all hyped up over the one time he is getting fed. Also, taking the food from his bowl, even if you are going to give it back, is only confirming his suspicions. He won't connect you taking the food away and giving it back as the same action. Please, do get him to a trainer. This can be corrected at 8 months and if you leave this for longer, imagine a little kid coming near his bowl when he's eating. Food aggression is one of the top reasons rescued dogs are put down and not set up for adoption. You simply can't trust a dog that will be aggressive if someone comes near them when they are eating. That's what this tends to escalate to.

my beagle is like that but only with her toys, not her food, but it's the same situation. what we are doing is we have a trea in one hand, and her bone/toy whatever in the other hand. make her sit, give her the treat. get another treat, give her the toy (in your case, the food) once she starts eatting, get her attention, give her the treat (to distract her) and pick up her food bowl at the same time. We've been doing this for about a week, and we can take the bone away from her now as long as we have a treat in our hands, so its taking a bit but we're working on it without a treat. might not work with your dog as all dogs are different, but the whole thing is, is she's greedy lol and thinks you want to take her food. You just got to build up for trust in you so she knows it's not going to be her last bowl of food. good luck

My beagle does the same thing, beagles are very possessive about their meals, so i just leave her alone, or if she is doing that with bones or toys, I just put a puckering sour powder with water on it to keep her from doing it.

The next time you feed him, feed him out of the palm of your hand, giving him 3 or 4 bites at a time. If he is snappy when getting his bites, hold the food in a fist and let him smell your hand to get the smell and then open your hand and feed him. When he bites at your hand, pop him on the snoot with two fingers telling him, NO, in a deep gruff voice simlar to a growl. Go on doing this until he gets the idea that you don't bite the hand that feeds you.When he bites you, you have the right to bite back, as if you were a litter mate or his mama. Canine behavior not human behavior. They learn quicker if you use their own behavior against them.

You need to hand feed him.....PERIOD! Put the bowl away, hand feed him 1 piece of kibble at a time until the meal is gone. Do this for ALL his meals for the next 4 weeks. This will make him realize that YOU are the food provider and YOU are the only way he can get food. After he realizes this you can start using the bowl again but still hand feed a small part of his meal periodically to remind him you are the boss. As for the bones, sit beside him or have him on your lap and you hold onto the bone the whole time he is chewing it. If he makes one growl or aggressive look at you then put the bone away. Try again in a little while. Repeat until you can sit with him for 10 minutes with no aggression showing. He also needs to be Neutered NOW if he isn't yet.

I would strongly recommend that you seek the advice of a reputable trainer or a Veterinary Behaviorist. Good Luck.

If he is not neutered, you should have him fixed as soon as possible. I am assuming you have had him from the beginning.When he growls at you, does he try and bite you? Or does he just growl? I have two dogs and some times they will growl at me too. But I just continue what I was doing and they stop. They don't go any farther with it. I could take their food or bones from them. If they growled at me, it would only take a word from me and they wouldn't do it again. They respect me as I respect them. I would not hit them and they would not bite me. Just continue to put your hand IN the bowl while he is eating and if he growls at you, say "NO" and leave your hand in the bowl. If he has a bone and growls at you take the bone away from him. Then tell him to "be nice" and give it back to him while saying, "good boy". Then try it again. You can let him know you are the boss without hitting or yelling. Do it gently and respect him. You will get the same treatment back from him.